the Rift


[OPEN] She Smelled of Daisies,

Reichenbach Posts: 62
Dragon's Throat Guardian atk: 5 | def: 7.5 | dam: 7.0
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 8 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Space
#1
[Image: xdxqx1.jpg]

It had taken him three days to get close to the Basin, and now that he was here, Reich had begun to grow hesitant where only this morning he had been confident. The trip had been easy enough - a quick march across Thistle Meadow with a temporary stop at the Hidden Falls. He had camped both nights, settling easily back into his nomadic tendencies, sleeping comfortably underneath a sky full of bright stars and revelling in the silence that came only from sleeping alone. He had created little burning fires to sleep beside, dainty little things that burned long and slow through the night, casting his handsome features into an eerie crimson glow as his mind lingered on a vision of azure skin and long lashed pale eyes.

In truth, he wasn't sure what his reception would be: after all, he would probably come off as a little obsessive after trekking from the Throat to the Basin, simply to say hello. It's necessary though, he thought to himself, how else am I to get her off my brain? Every day I don't speak to her, the more intense this need becomes. He'd always been a passionate man, and saw no need or want to hide his emotions - despite the negative effect this had had on relationships in the past. Perhaps his obsession was founded on something entirely meagre, and once he saw her he'd feel fulfilled... but perhaps not.

Reich felt entirely awkward standing at the entrance to the Basin, delaying walking through the narrow pass despite having walked for three days to get there. He was not usually a hesitant man - and indeed even now he knew he would walk through the pass, it was only that his heart was thrumming with a nervous adrenaline that seemed to stay his step. Shaking his handsome head roughly, Reich began to walk down the pass, humming a pleasant, low tune to himself as he gazed at the savage ice walls around him.

Ice, he mused, Of course I want to court a lady that lives in a damn kingdom of ice. He was born of sand, dryness and heat, and adored the scorch of a burning sun upon his deep mahogany skin, or the slide of light upon his ebony curls - even the bounce of sunlight off of his gypsy coins was more natural to him than snow and ice and cold. Rounding the corner he saw, with no small amount of awe, the sentinel that stood guard over the entrance to the basin. It was here that he stopped, peering forward through silver eyes to see if there was anyone that might announce his entrance.

"Hail, Aurora Basin” he murmured in his baritone voice, more to himself than anyone.




@Tiamat & open! If a guard/soldier/lookout wants to approach first I'm fine with that!!

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please tag Reich in all posts
Force & Magic allowed short of permanent maiming & death

Tiamat the Ocean's Light Posts: 360
Aurora Basin Lady atk: 8 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 :: 6 years HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Nimue :: Common Orca Leviathan :: Boil Reli
#2
Tiamat—Lady of the Aurora Basin.

The thought of it still sends shivers down the sea maiden’s spine—shivers of both excitement and nervousness. The reality of her promotion hasn’t quite settled in yet, and she doubts that it will anytime soon, or if it ever will. How had Deimos acclimated himself to his crown? How had Hotaru shouldered this massive responsibility? The expectation of her predecessors is daunting, almost frightening (how could anyone follow the greatness of the Reaper?) but her god’s words resonate with a firm and comforting answer. She must lead this herd as she would—not as anyone else.

Musing over the Time God’s wisdom, the blue maiden rests somewhere near the center of the Basin’s valley. She grazes leisurely, grinding her teeth together as her eyes follow her thoughts, trailing casually over the shimmering surface of the lake, the shadowed treeline, and the frosted peaks that rise towards her mother sky.

Lifting her head from the cold, grassy ground, she sniffs casually at the mountain air, inhaling a musky scent that is recently familiar to her. Flicking her leonine tail excitedly around her ankles, the newly-crowned queen suddenly turns, and picks up a slow canter towards the Basin’s entrance. It isn’t long before the massive machine sentinels come into view, standing as silent keepers of the highland valley, and below them, is someone who brightens her smile. “Reichenbach!” Tiamat calls out to the mahogany stallion, releasing a whinny of welcome as the distance between them diminishes.

Soon she comes to a halt with the chiming of seashells and the billowing of sapphire locks, her white eyes sparkling beneath the sun’s rays.

Never one to harbor much inhibition, the Ocean’s Light steps forward without hesitation, lifting her head to place it around the stallion’s withers and embrace him in a hug. She feels so small compared to the width of his brawny chest, happily breathing in the manly smell of his black curls (that nearly swallow her as they fall around her cheeks and neck). When she pulls away, the Lady is grinning freely.

“What a lovely surprise! I hadn’t expected to see you this far north. Welcome to my home,” she sweeps her head to gesture to the mountain valley that stretches out behind her, as beautiful as heaven for the blue maiden. She hopes that the stallion has been able to find such a place since his arrival to Helovia. “How have you been? How has the Throat treated you?” Tiamat returns her attention to Reichenbach when she questions him, sincere in her curiosity.

“Speech.”
the ocean loved her and knew everything that made her
and every time she’d walk to the shore,
she’d smile at the ocean
because the waves told her story

image credits
@Reichenbach
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Reichenbach Posts: 62
Dragon's Throat Guardian atk: 5 | def: 7.5 | dam: 7.0
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 8 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Space
#3
[Image: xdxqx1.jpg]

He stared up at the sentinel, silver eyes sliding down the slick metal and up again, lingering on the gigantic face until suddenly her voice came floating on the brisk wind. A warm grin broke his sense of reverie, changing his face from awe-struck to genuine happiness as he set eyes upon the vision of blue approaching. Her hair seemed to swell and billow of it's own accord, floating around her delicate face like a sheer silk curtain. Reichenbach tried not to think about how she smelled of salt and surf, of frangipani, coconut and vanilla - though his efforts were short lived as Tiamat embraced him, enveloping him in her scent.

He returned her embrace, his own grin a permanent addition now that she'd found him. "North is as good a place to wander as any,” he began, as pleasant and easygoing as always, "But truly, Tia, it is beautiful, though perhaps I will have to find myself a warm cloak before my next visit.” His smile was bright and his words sincere as he took a moment to gaze beyond Tiamat (he found that he quite enjoyed seeing blue in his peripherals) to the rest of the Basin, lingering on the cool, still lake within it's depths.

"Oh, the Throat is wonderful -” he grinned "Very warm.” If he had had hands he would have rubbed them together in the cold, though instead he inched a little closer to Tiamat, smiling. "And yourself? How have you been since we last met?” he queried, wondering vaguely if members of the Basin just didn't feel the cold anymore. He felt calm now that he'd found Tia, the methodical pump of his summery heart settling into it's low rhythm as he breathed her in.

Reich wasn't entirely ready to admit he'd travelled across Helovia just to see Tiamat, instead he reasoned that he had wanted to see the rest of it and that, after the Basin, he might go and see the Edge - just for the sake of seeing it all. "I hope you won't get into trouble letting an outsider linger at your front gates” he joked, unaware that Tia was, in fact, the leader of the Basin. He knew only that when she had arrived, all dark thoughts had been swept from the back of his mind and he had become fully present - and he liked the way that that felt.



@Tiamat

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please tag Reich in all posts
Force & Magic allowed short of permanent maiming & death

Wessex Posts: 149
Aurora Basin Haruspex atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 7.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 3 HP: 68 | Buff: NOVICE
Astor
#4

I AM IRON AND I FORGE MYSELF

There’s good reason for the Throat stallion to be hesitant about visiting the Basin, and it’s name is Wessex. Self-proclaimed protector of Tiamat and admirer from afar (sometimes very close, but shhhh, that’s a secret), ever since she’d protected their now-Lady in the Marsh. Now, it’s not a creepy-type of watching, nor does she hover like a protective mother, but she was already patrolling around the Sentinels when a foreign voice hailed the Basin. Her normally quick route down was blocked by a mudslide, due to melting snow from the peaks, and so she had to pick her way down by another path - and it takes the horned soldier considerably longer to reach the entrance.

By the time she does, her orange-yellow eyes spy their effervescent Lady and a stranger conversing, and she cannot help but frown. Just a bit. And only because they stand closely, and a spark of jealousy lights somewhere in her breast. She makes no attempt to hide her approach, and truly, it would be a difficult thing to do, but almost makes no greeting until she is within speaking distance. A low nicker is offered to Tiamat as she draws up along her right side - close enough to indicate friendship and comfort. Her kohl-rimmed gaze bares down on the stallion as she interrupts his soiree. “Hello. I’m Wessex. I see you know our Lady…” She offers a smile to Tia, then, and turns her head to offer the woman an affectionate gaze, before turning back to the stranger.

Ours, she said - hers. Not his. And so, like the awkward escort or mischeivous child who sees Mommy getting friendly with a man, she purposefully inserts herself into their conversation.  

W E S S E X

image credit


@Reichenbach  @Tiamat  
Oh haiiiiii XD
-- please tag in all posts! --
-- magic and force allowed, no death or permanent damage --

Tiamat the Ocean's Light Posts: 360
Aurora Basin Lady atk: 8 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 :: 6 years HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Nimue :: Common Orca Leviathan :: Boil Reli
#5
The mahogany stallion is everything that she had remembered from the Threshold. He is thick coal curls and dazzling sterling eyes, with an expression that is as relaxed and hearty as hers is bright and animated—she is the sun and he is the warmth, spreading through her muscles and bones until she shivers once from the brisk mountain air. With her lips curling into an uncontrollable grin, she laughs softly (more out of appreciation than humor) at his comment of visiting again, finding that she quite likes the idea of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome standing among her beloved frosty peaks.

“Perhaps one of our Weavers can help you with that! They are very talented, and I would like to see you visit again,” the mare’s expression twists bashfully, hardly able to imagine the idea of something as trivial as the weather being able to deter a man like the one standing in front of her (a true man in every aspect of the word). The sea maiden is a virgin in more ways than one—her mind is childlike, carefree, and largely untainted from the black cruelties of the world. To assume the best is all she knows—and all she ever hopes to understand. Given the bitterness and horror of recent events, she clings to her naivety now more than ever before.

A dainty ear slants forward when the stallion continues. She rolls her eyes playfully when he comments on the Throat’s warmth, scrunching her nose up at him and releasing an indignant snort in jest. While Tiamat, by the nature of her heritage, is instinctively drawn towards the sunny climates of her hot-blooded ancestors, she cannot imagine living anywhere else. The Basin has become as much a part of her as her horn, her tail, or her heart.

Her responsibilities now to the mountains are daunting, but she is sincerely excited to give back all that she has been blessed with. Quickly, her smile softens tenderly with these thoughts. “I have been well! Keeping myself busy. There’s a lot to do as part of a herd family, and of course Helovia always offers its hidden treasures,” Tiamat can’t help but cast Reichenbach a lighthearted wink, sure that he has discovered this for himself by now. From the myriad of beautiful people (strong women and  curly-haired men) to the never-ending wonders of both nature and structure (she thinks briefly of the glowing waters Nox had shown her), Helovia is a fascinating world to explore.

Suddenly aware of the proximity between her and the burnished man, the Ocean’s Light smiles, humming quietly to herself before she laughs. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that,” she assures him, nearly ready to enlighten him of her promotion before another familiar face joins them. “Wessex!” She crows with delight at the sight of the muscular woman, reaching out to the dappled soldier as she settles at her side.

Heartened by the unyielding sense of comfort and security that Wessex has always offered, and blissfully oblivious to any fledgling flames of jealousy, Tiamat continues with a brilliant grin. “Yes! Reichenbach is a friend of mine, we met in the Threshold. He hails from the Throat,” her eyes rest briefly on the man with a smile, introducing him with ease and remembering too late that he might uncomfortable. Ghosting with concern, her eyes linger on him when she continues. “Wessex is one of our soldiers,” Tiamat explains by way of introductions, giving her fellow herd mate a proud grin. The sun’s light catches the angles of her face, and illuminates the sparkle in her eyes.

“Speech.”
the ocean loved her and knew everything that made her
and every time she’d walk to the shore,
she’d smile at the ocean
because the waves told her story

image credits
@Reichenbach @Wessex
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Reichenbach Posts: 62
Dragon's Throat Guardian atk: 5 | def: 7.5 | dam: 7.0
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 8 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Space
#6
[Image: xdxqx1.jpg]

I would like to see you again she chimes, and Reich couldn't help the warm rush he felt at the brilliant words, (the most lovely words he'd heard today), and felt his already large smile grow just that little bit more. "Well in that case” he teases, knowing that he truly would require a warm cloak if he remained so enchanted by this pale eyed saint. She was impossibly charming and angelic, almost childlike in the way she saw the world: all beauty and love, sunshine and warmth. Reich had decided beforehand that he never wanted that to change, and that he would protect that naivety with his very essence if he had to. He didn't want to live in a world where innocence and happiness didn't last.

Tiamat winked at him as she spoke and Reich crumpled his own nose in pleasure, agreeing wholeheartedly. When he had arrived in Helovia he had been prepared for anything, or so he'd thought, and then he'd seen things and experienced them too. Then if all that had not been enough, he'd been spun in that crazy Singles event wherein he'd met so many fascinating, charming and stunning singles that he'd had no idea where to look. He still remained disgruntled that Tiamat had been there and he hadn't known, and felt quite protective, a cover for the jealousy he felt when he thought of her being charmed by some Helovian magician. Jealousy was, unfortunately, something he was accustomed to - though it was a habit he was attempting to break. Jealousy and a high temper did not go hand in hand and return positive.

Still, as he watched the curve of Tiamat's elegant cheekbone and the shine in her soft eyes, he could not help but to forget that he'd ever been troubled by anything. Distracted, Reich jumped as Tia crowed the name of another, happiness bubbling in her silver tones. His smile didn't falter as Wessex arrived, and surprisingly, he didn't find himself jealous at the proximity with which the soldier stood. Rather, he grinned in companionship, warmth rippling off of him as he dipped his head in welcome, stepping forward as if to introduce himself and, in finding himself already introduced, simply smiling. "Wessex,” he hailed in his booming musical voice, "A pleasure to meet any friend of Tiamat's - she has a good choice in them” he offered a conspiring wink, the brush of his thick ebony lashes a familiar touch against his broad cheek.

"I must admit, your Sentinel would do a good job of keeping any assailants away - myself included!” A warm chuckle left his throat as he looked between the two women - both beautiful in their own way, though Reich's head was lost in a sea of infinite blue.





@Tiamat @Wessex sorry for the late reply!

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please tag Reich in all posts
Force & Magic allowed short of permanent maiming & death

Wessex Posts: 149
Aurora Basin Haruspex atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 7.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 3 HP: 68 | Buff: NOVICE
Astor
#7

I AM IRON AND I FORGE MYSELF

Security. Strength. Loyalty.

Yep, that’s Wessex. Somewhere in the deep, dark, unacknowledged recesses of her mind, Wessex knows that Tiamat will never love her the way that Wessex adores (re: infatuated with) her Lady. The mottled mare may be as close to a stallion as one can get without having the necessary equipment, but she still does not have the curly-haired charm of others. Wessex is a pitbull or great dane amongst wolves, as fierce as her wilder cousins, but lacking a certain… refinement. Sleekness. Affection from the worldwide community.

“Reichenbach,” she echoes with a deeper voice than their blissful Lady. “Likewise. Any friend of Tia’s is a friend of mine.” Which also goes to say that any enemy is also Wessex’s enemy. And Reichenbach probably doesn’t want the soldier as his enemy. However, if he is insinuating that the blue woman’s choice to keep company with Wessex and himself is is a good one, well, Wessex can neither confirm nor deny that. So instead, she smiles thinly and nods, keeping her mouth shut until he mentions their impressive, but rusting guardian. She glances behind her, orange-yellow eyes roving up its metal body to its sightless (yet somehow seeing) eyes.

“Aye. Between that and our swelling ranks, we’re well on our way to being fearsome again, aren’t we?” Wessex chuckles - genuinely, this time - and glances over at Tia. “Now if only Gods were afraid of us mere mortals…” Part of her is very curious about the warriors in the Throat - how many they have, their skill levels, and how they train. Perhaps it would be a good idea for them to train together: horns against wings, fire against ice.

W E S S E X

image credit


@Reichenbach  
@Tiamat
Sorry for the delay as well :/
-- please tag in all posts! --
-- magic and force allowed, no death or permanent damage --

Tiamat the Ocean's Light Posts: 360
Aurora Basin Lady atk: 8 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 :: 6 years HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Nimue :: Common Orca Leviathan :: Boil Reli
#8
The Ocean’s Light glances from one large equine to the other as they greet each other. Reichenbach is as lively and as full of warmth as she has ever seen him, greeting the Basin’s warrior with a voice lilting heartily over the highland terrain. Wessex, in contrast, is like stone—more subdued compared to the stallion’s expressive features, unyielding in both strength and security, and get somehow altogether gentle. Tiamat adores them both, and is thrilled to see them (apparently) getting along together splendidly!

At their compliments of her choice in friends, the blue Lady chuckles blithely, flicking out her tail and fluttering her long lashes. “Oh you’re too kind,” she murmurs modestly, though the sparkle in her eyes is enough to indicate her blooming excitement.

With her head still lost in effervescent clouds, the sea maiden follows their attention as their conversation shifts slightly, Reichenbach acknowledging their impressive (albeit, decaying, but mighty all the same) set of Sentinels that guard their entrance. Tiamat has never heard their sirens roar or their red eyes blaze herself, thankfully, but their presence is undoubtedly comforting. They are a symbol of home, and everything she holds dear.

Tilting her head back and sweeping her pearly eyes to Wessex, the Ocean’s Light joins the dappled woman in her laughter. “Indeed! The Sentinels have served us well for many years. They watch over us—over a people growing stronger with every passing day. It is so exciting to see the mountains alive and bustling again!” She can’t help but sway a little bit in her happiness while her lion tail rises and curls, as though her body simply cannot contain the emotions that bubble within her chest, and reach to fill every part of her. Her eyes dance and her smile is wide and infectious, truly overjoyed to see her beloved home thriving once more.

She sighs blissfully to herself, glancing delightfully to her fellow herd mate, before her attention focuses once more on the mahogany stallion. “Come, come, my friend,” she gestures to Reichenbach with a tilt of her curved horn, turning her body so that she faces the Basin’s valley. “You must be weary from your travels; you can refresh yourself at the Basin’s lake,” her smile softens warmly, inviting him to join her at her shoulder while she guides him into their land. A touch is given to Wessex, sapphire lips gracing her broad shoulder, welcoming her to join them as well.

“Speech.”
the ocean loved her and knew everything that made her
and every time she’d walk to the shore,
she’d smile at the ocean
because the waves told her story

image credits
@Reichenbach @Wessex
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.


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